Kanda Shrine
Encyclopedia
, is a Shinto
shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo
, Japan
. The shrine dates back 1,270 years, but the current structure was rebuilt several times due to fire and earthquakes. It is situated in one of the most expensive estate areas of Tokyo. Kanda Shrine was an important shrine to both the warrior class and citizens of Japan, especially during the Edo period
, when shogun
Tokugawa Ieyasu
paid his respects at Kanda Shrine.
Era (730 AD), in the fishing village of Shibasaki, near the modern Ōtemachi
district. In order to accommodate the expansion of Edo Castle
, the shrine was later moved to the former Kanda ward in 1603, then moved once again to its modern site on a small hill near Akihabara
in 1616. The shrine has been rebuilt and restored many times. The current structure was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
and rebuilt in 1934 with concrete, and thus survived the Tokyo firebombing of World War II
, unlike many of Japan's historical structures. Restoration is being done on Kanda Shrine, and work continues today.
The two-storey main gate, Zuishin-mon (隨神門), marks the entrance to Kanda Shrine. Zuishin-mon was reconstructed in 1995 with cypress
wood, and is built with an irimoya
styled roof. The shrine building is constructed in the Shinto style of Gongen-zukuri
. It is painted vermilion, and decorated with gold and lacquered interiors. Many sculptures of its enshrined kami
can be found on the building grounds.
, Ebisu
, and Taira no Masakado
. As Daikokuten and Ebisu both belong to the Seven Gods of Fortune, Kanda Shrine is a popular place for businessmen and entrepreneurs to pray for wealth and prosperity.
Taira no Masakado however, was a samurai
who rebelled against the Heian
government, and was later elevated to the status of kami out of reverence. He is an important figure in the shrine's history. After his death in 940, his head was separated from his body and delivered to the Shibaraki area, near the shrine's location today. Locals who respected his defiance enshrined him in Kanda Shrine, and his spirit is said to watch over the surrounding areas. It was rumored that when his shrine fell into disrepair, Masakado's angry spirit wrought natural disasters and plagues upon the nearby lands. It is also said that shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu felt uncomfortable to have his castle built close to such a powerful spirit, and so decided to move Kanda Shrine to its modern location.
During the Meiji period
, the emperor
was faced with public pressure to include Kanda Shrine in the , but hesitated to do so because of the shrine's association with Masakado, who was seen as an anti-government figure. This was temporarily resolved by removing Taira no Masakado as an enshrined kami. However, Masakado's spirit proved so popular amongst the commoners, that it was symbolically returned to the shrine after WWII.
) is one of the three major Shinto festivals in Tokyo, started in 1600 by Tokugawa Ieyasu to celebrate his decisive victory at the battle of Sekigahara
. At the time, the festival was important enough to be named a state festival, and its highly decorated mikoshi
were paraded down the main streets and into Edo castle so that even the shogun could observe the celebrations. Today it is held in honor of the enshrined kami, and celebrated around May 15 of every odd year.
Daikoku festival is also held at Kanda Shrine in January.
, a fictional policeman who thwarted criminals by throwing coins. Heiji's beat is Myōjin-shita, or "beneath the (Kanda) Myōjin shrine." Several monuments have been erected at the shrine in his honor.
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo
Chiyoda, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The shrine dates back 1,270 years, but the current structure was rebuilt several times due to fire and earthquakes. It is situated in one of the most expensive estate areas of Tokyo. Kanda Shrine was an important shrine to both the warrior class and citizens of Japan, especially during the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, when shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
paid his respects at Kanda Shrine.
History
Kanda Shrine was first built in the second year of the TenpyōTenpyo
, also romanized as Tempyō, was a after Jinki and before Tenpyō-kanpō. This period spanned the years from August 729 through April 749. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
Era (730 AD), in the fishing village of Shibasaki, near the modern Ōtemachi
Otemachi
is a district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is located north of Tokyo Station and Marunouchi, east of the Imperial Palace, west of Nihonbashi and south of Kanda. It is the location of the former site of the village of Shibazaki, the most ancient part of Tokyo....
district. In order to accommodate the expansion of Edo Castle
Edo Castle
, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
, the shrine was later moved to the former Kanda ward in 1603, then moved once again to its modern site on a small hill near Akihabara
Akihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
in 1616. The shrine has been rebuilt and restored many times. The current structure was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
and rebuilt in 1934 with concrete, and thus survived the Tokyo firebombing of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, unlike many of Japan's historical structures. Restoration is being done on Kanda Shrine, and work continues today.
Architecture
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
wood, and is built with an irimoya
Irimoya
A xieshan style or roof in Japanese architecture is a hip roof integrated on two opposing sides with a gable. It can be also described in English as a hip-and-gable, gablet, or Dutch gable roof...
styled roof. The shrine building is constructed in the Shinto style of Gongen-zukuri
Gongen
During the era of shinbutsu shūgō , in Japan a During the era of shinbutsu shūgō (religious syncretism of kami and buddhas), in Japan a During the era of shinbutsu shūgō (religious syncretism of kami and buddhas), in Japan a ( was believed to be a Japanese kami which was really just the local...
. It is painted vermilion, and decorated with gold and lacquered interiors. Many sculptures of its enshrined kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
can be found on the building grounds.
Enshrined Kami
The three major kami enshrined are DaikokutenDaikokuten
In Japan, Daikokuten , literally, god of great Darkness or Blackness, is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. Daikokuten evolved from the Hindu deity, Shiva. The name is the Chinese and Japanese equivalent of Mahakala, another name for Shiva....
, Ebisu
Ebisu (mythology)
Ebisu , also transliterated Yebisu or called Hiruko or Kotoshiro-nushi-no-kami , is the Japanese god of fishermen, luck, and workingmen, as well as the guardian of the health of small children...
, and Taira no Masakado
Taira no Masakado
was a samurai in the Heian period of Japan, who led one of the largest insurgent forces in the period against the central government of Kyoto.-History:...
. As Daikokuten and Ebisu both belong to the Seven Gods of Fortune, Kanda Shrine is a popular place for businessmen and entrepreneurs to pray for wealth and prosperity.
Taira no Masakado however, was a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who rebelled against the Heian
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
government, and was later elevated to the status of kami out of reverence. He is an important figure in the shrine's history. After his death in 940, his head was separated from his body and delivered to the Shibaraki area, near the shrine's location today. Locals who respected his defiance enshrined him in Kanda Shrine, and his spirit is said to watch over the surrounding areas. It was rumored that when his shrine fell into disrepair, Masakado's angry spirit wrought natural disasters and plagues upon the nearby lands. It is also said that shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu felt uncomfortable to have his castle built close to such a powerful spirit, and so decided to move Kanda Shrine to its modern location.
During the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, the emperor
Emperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
was faced with public pressure to include Kanda Shrine in the , but hesitated to do so because of the shrine's association with Masakado, who was seen as an anti-government figure. This was temporarily resolved by removing Taira no Masakado as an enshrined kami. However, Masakado's spirit proved so popular amongst the commoners, that it was symbolically returned to the shrine after WWII.
Festivals
Kanda festival (Kanda matsuriJapanese festivals
Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs....
) is one of the three major Shinto festivals in Tokyo, started in 1600 by Tokugawa Ieyasu to celebrate his decisive victory at the battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
. At the time, the festival was important enough to be named a state festival, and its highly decorated mikoshi
Mikoshi
A is a divine palanquin . Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when moving to a new shrine...
were paraded down the main streets and into Edo castle so that even the shogun could observe the celebrations. Today it is held in honor of the enshrined kami, and celebrated around May 15 of every odd year.
Daikoku festival is also held at Kanda Shrine in January.
Cultural references
Kanda Shrine is popularly known as the hangout for Zenigata HeijiZenigata Heiji
is Japanese fictional character, the hero of a series of Japanese novels, films and TV programmes set in the Edo period of Japanese history. He is a policeman who catches criminals by throwing coins, the zeni of the title, thus Zenigata Heiji. The hero was created by novelist Kodō Nomura in 1937...
, a fictional policeman who thwarted criminals by throwing coins. Heiji's beat is Myōjin-shita, or "beneath the (Kanda) Myōjin shrine." Several monuments have been erected at the shrine in his honor.
External links
- Official Site (English)